Encouraging childhood vaccination

Posted by Jason Falinski Mp144sc on April 28, 2017

Vaccination Matters.

And we are putting our money where our mouth is with a $5.5 million immunisation awareness campaign to encourage Australian parents and carers to get their kids vaccinated, especially when there is so much misinformation out there.

I have previously spoken to you about The Turnbull Government's efforts to strengthen vaccination rates through polices like: 'No Jab No Pay’ (has already resulted in over 200,000 extra children being vaccinated since the start of last year), and limiting childcare access to vaccinated children.

While some parents may have concerns about the safety of vaccination, it is an effective, proven tool that prevents the spread of serious diseases that cause hospitalisation, serious ongoing health conditions and sometimes death.

You Government is committed to ensuring all Australian children are fully vaccinated before they start school, by launching a new 3 year immunisation awareness campaign that will address myths and misconceptions about vaccinations.

More about the campaign

The three-year campaign will specifically target areas of low vaccination rates by addressing myths and misconceptions, while explaining the benefits of childhood vaccinations for both the individual and the community.

A range of advertising platforms combined with direct engagement at over 11,000 child care centres will be utilised to target parents of children aged under 5 years.

The campaign will use trusted third party advocates such as doctors and other medical experts to sell the message with social media playing a significant role in highlighting evidence based information from highly credible sources.

The campaign will cost $5.5 million over the three years from 2016–17 to 2018–19.

Public support for immunisation is high, but some parents continue to have concerns about the safety of vaccines. Research shows that when people are fully informed about the benefits of vaccination, they are more likely to vaccinate.

While Australia’s national coverage is 93 per cent, there are still some areas where it is as low as 64 per cent. These pockets of low coverage pose risks to the community, especially people who cannot be immunised because they are too young or for medical reasons.

Providing clear, coherent and evidence-based information to pregnant women, parents and carers, particularly through early childhood settings, will support the Government’s broader commitment to pursue a nationally consistent approach that gives parents confidence that their children will be safe in child care and pre-school settings.